Bugbears

Bugbears are a race defined by patience, introspection, and a strong sense of community, traits that often surprise outsiders who judge them solely by their imposing appearance. Bugbears place great value on observation and subtlety, preferring careful thought and deliberate action. This cautious and thoughtful nature extends into their cultural traditions. Storytelling, strategic games, and communal rituals hold prominent roles in bugbear society.

Tight-knit family groups forming the backbone of bugbear social structure, with elders holding positions of respect. Bugbears celebrate milestones and achievements with ceremony, and so individual accomplishments strengthen communal bonds. Loyalty and trust are key virtues to a bugbear; their word is their bond.

Bugbears maintain a reserved and sometimes intimidating demeanor. Their straightforward manner reflects a cultural emphasis on honesty and directness. Once trust is earned a bugbearshas a deep well of warmth and compassion to share, particularly toward those who demonstrate sincerity and integrity.

Bugbear traditions emphasize respect for and careful stewardship of the natural world. They seek to move in harmony with their environment, blending into the landscape through practiced quietude and deliberate movement. This connection to nature influences their cultural practices, from crafting homes that integrate seamlessly with their surroundings to rituals that honor and preserve the balance of their lands. To a bugbear, the wild is not an enemy to be conquered but a partner to be understood. Their legacy is written not in stone, but in the silence between footsteps.

Three bugbear ethnicites dwell in Darguun: Dhakaani, Marguul, and Darguul bugbears. (See 'Bugbear Ethnicities', below.)

Description

Physique. Bugbears stand between 6½ and 7½ feet tall and weigh on average about 270 pounds. They are muscular and built for endurance. Their fur ranges from blonde to brown to black, and is often kept short or else braided. They're given to sparse clothes and light armor, especially in the hot climes of subtropical and tropical Darguun. Despite their bulk, they move with surprising speed and precision.

Age. Bugbears reach adulthood at age 25. They hit middle age around 60 and are considered old past age 85.

Size. A bugbear's size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d6
Height = 6 feet 6 inches + your size modifier in inches
Weight = 200 pounds + (2d8 x your size modifier in pounds)

Suggested Names. Chaatoor, Chotuul, Duurkala, Ghaaldar, Ghaalduur, Ghaalrac, Hashraac, Hezhaal, Jhazaal, Kapaavola, Kheshdar, Rhukaan, Urtaash, Uulkala, Uulkur, Volaar.

Racial Traits

Creature Type. Your creature type is Humanoid. You are also considered a goblinoid for effects that apply to them.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Sneaky. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.

Resolve. Your innate discipline and resolve grant you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed and frightened conditions on yourself.

Martial Training. You are proficient with two martial weapons of your choice and with light armor.

Surprise Attack. If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Bugbear Ethnicities

These are the principle ethnicities of the bugbears of Darguun. You do not need to pick one of these. If you want your bugbear to be from somewhere else where bugbears live some other kind of a way, that's fine. That said if you prefer to pick from predefined choices here are three.

Dhakaani Bugbears

Dhakaani bugbears are shaped by discipline, legacy, and an enduring sense of purpose, raised within a culture that prizes duty and honor above all else. Their lives are bound by muut— the obligation to serve the greater whole— and atcha— the pursuit of personal excellence— principles instilled from an early age and reinforced through ritual, song, and shared memory. Within their vaulted halls and strongholds, Dhakaani bugbears live in orderly communities led by those whose wisdom and accomplishment have earned respect. Quiet and formidable, they speak little and listen much, measuring others by their actions and their adherence to duty.

Marguul Bugbears

Marguul bugbears are a proud people, shaped by life in the rugged highlands of Darguun and scarred by long memory of conquest and resistance. Their culture honors strength of body and of will. Tribal life among the Marguul emphasizes oral history and ancestral reverence, with songs and tales passed from campfire to campfire. Elders are deeply respected as bearers of hard truths, while leadership is earned through bold deeds and wisdom rather than birthright. Marguul bugbears live by an unspoken code that prizes bravery, loyalty, and strength—whether found in a battle-tested comrade or a worthy rival. They have a singular reverence for the wildness of the world, which manifests in alignment with its raw and untamed forces.

Darguul Bugbears

Darguul bugbears are a resilient people shaped by generations of displacement and a hard-earned reclamation, living in the shadow of a fractured legacy. They have forged a culture defined by determination to survive and build something lasting amid the tumult of a century-long war. A Darguul bugbear chooses action over talk and deeds over promises. While often seen as taciturn or standoffish by outsiders, Darguul bugbears are grounded in a code of mutual respect and accountability, and they hold lasting loyalty for those who stand beside them through adversity.

License

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